The parent company behind Newcastle business hub Hoults Yard has been rebranded as it gears up to expand across the North East.
Local businessman Charlie Hoult has decided to change the name of his property portfolio to Hyhubs and said he is in the process of adding new locations to the business.
As well as Byker’s Hoults Yard, Hyhubs also owns Hayloft, the former St Thomas Street Business Centre next to Haymarket bus station, and Hypoint, which was previously known as Gear House in Gateshead.
But following the rebrand, Mr Hoult says he will soon add to his portfolio by converting a number of prominent Newcastle city centre buildings and also has his eyes on other sites across the North East.
“Tyneside and the wider region are in great shape and that has given us the confidence to invest heavily in Hyhubs,” Mr Hoult said. “Because of the success of Hoults Yard – which is full to overflowing – people are now contacting me to talk about developing properties.
“It’s our mission to create Hyhubs sites across the region, with all of our spaces being properties with personality.
“I’m particularly interested in new workspace options and models - from co-working and serviced offices through to leased offices and business membership schemes. I’ve been looking at examples such as Bruntwood Works in Manchester to understand different ways of helping tenants.
“Flexibility and choice is the key, be that renting desks to individuals on easy in-out terms or providing much larger spaces to corporates for long-term lets.”
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Martin Gannon, the leader of Gateshead Council, attended the launch of Hyhubs at an event held at Hypoint.
Coun Gannon said: “I’ve been really impressed by Charlie and what’s he’s done at Hoults Yard. I’m delighted he’s moved across the Tyne to work in Gateshead and I’m impressed by what he’s done at Hypoint. He’s a man of drive and enthusiasm and I wish him well in his latest venture, Hyhubs.”
When Hypoint opened last summer, it added 20,000sq ft to Hyhubs estate. The portfolio grew by a further 8,000sq ft in December 2018 through the addition of Hylofts. In total Hyhubs has nearly 500,000sq ft of space, which could house 400 companies and support 2,000 jobs.
Mr Hoult added: “We’ve invested heavily in upgrading and revitalising the working environment at Hypoint and are spending about £1.5m on the acquisition and redevelopment of Haylofts.
“We’ll be creating 20 new offices there, plus five executive meeting spaces around the courtyard area. We envisage the courtyard will double as a space for conferences, corporate gatherings and even theatre productions with tiered seating for 50.
“We’ve already had firm interest from software, arts and research firms and offices will be ready in early 2020.”